‘American Idol’ contestant suffers seizure during performance

An “American Idol” performance took a scary turn when a contestant suffered a seizure onstage.

Makayla Brownlee, a 17-year-old contestant from Wellington, Kansas, went onstage to perform Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow.”

Before she began to sing, she seemed to become disoriented and began walking away. She later collapsed.

Judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie immediately expressed concern. Crew members surrounded Brownlee and alerted EMTs.

Once she was evaluated and began recovering from the incident, her father, Mark Brownlee, explained that her daughter collapsed because of a rare heart condition known as vasovagal syncope.

“She can’t control it. She’s embarrassed, but physically, she’s 100 percent all right,” he said. “This opportunity is so important for her. I’d hate to see it inhibited in any way because she’s such a good singer. She works so hard at it.”

Brownlee then explained to the cameras that the condition causes her to react to stress differently than other people, sometimes resulting in a seizure.

“The stress this week has definitely been a lot harder on me than anything I’ve ever gone through,” Brownlee says in the video.

Hours later, she returned to the stage to a standing ovation — and her performance brought Perry to tears. She moved on to the next round of the competition.

“American Idol” has shut down live production for the time being over coronavirus concerns, but pre-taped episodes will continue to air, so we’ll all be able to follow the next step in Brownlee’s journey.

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